Mount Holly Man Charged With Theft Of Chicken Parts

A man who neighbors reported was selling frozen chicken pieces from the back of a trailer at his home was charged in connection with the theft of a $100,000 trailer-load of chicken parts in May, police said. Walter Hicks Petty, 46, was arrested Saturday and charged with two counts of receiving stolen goods, arrest warrants said. Police who responded to the neighbors' call last month found a trailer that had been reported missing by Colonial Freight Systems, valued at $44,500. Inside the trailer, police recovered about 20 pallets containing 1,854 cases of assorted frozen chicken parts, according to warrant affidavits. Neighbors told police Petty would've been able to sell more of the chicken parts if it had truly been "finger lickin' good."

County Commissioners Asked to Avoid Expo Scandal

Some Gaston County residents have begun a campaign to stop county commissioners from attending a conference in Honolulu this July. Four county commissioners regularly attend the National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Expo, but this year's exotic location—coupled with recent budget cutbacks—is causing greater scrutiny from the public. In addition to the financial questions being raised, commissioners have had to deny they are going to Hawaii to "get lei'd."

Gastonia Store Owner Accused of Killing in His Underwear

Kevin Blake Moore, 53, was charged Wednesday after police said he fatally shot Tommy Lee Long, a convicted felon who broke into Moore's business last weekend. Long wasn't armed and hadn't stolen anything, when Moore fatally shot him as he ran out of the store into a parking lot, police said. Moore said Wednesday that he had been living at his store, Mac's M & M Auto Parts of Gastonia on Franklin Boulevard, and was asleep when he heard someone break several windows that morning. Moore said, "I wasn't (just) defending my store. I live here. This whole incident happened with me in my underwear." Despite the underwear defense, Gaston County District Attorney Mike Lands decided to charge Moore with second-degree murder.

Gastonia On the Map As Global Spandex Headquarters

RadiciSpandex, a major supplier of Spandex to the world's joggers and '80s hair metal bands, has announced it will base its primary headquarters in Gastonia. The sprawling Spandex compound which overlooks Interstate 85 is already home to some other Radici Group operations, including its global distribution warehouse. Former global product manager for Fashion Applications Preston Kelly says, “Gastonia will see the addition of an entire staff of accounting, planning, and customer services jobs in the community. All of these measures are aimed at making us the preferred spandex supplier in the western hemisphere.” Gastonia residents are being encouraged to wear more Spandex in support of the company's investment in the community.

Christian Groups Not Urged to See New Jesus Docu-Drama

Local evangelical groups are expressing ambivalence about local filmmaker Earl Owensby's new docu-drama about the life of Christ. Unlike last year's sweeping support for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Owensby's film—built around his collection of religious paintings—has yet to gain widespread support from the faithful in Gaston County. "We're waiting for [James] Dobson or somebody to really get behind this," says Rev. Clay Faitken, Pastor of Mass Mobilization at Gastonia's Bethlehem Baptist Church. "If [Rick] Warren recommends this then we'll do it for sure. We always do whatever he tells churches to do." While local congregations recently joined together to distribute free copies of The Jesus Film on DVD to area homes, no such campaign is being planned for the Owensby project. But it could still happen, says Faitken. "Whenever there's an evangelical bandwagon, we're right on it."

Local TV Ads Powerfully Promote Illiteracy

Two recent ads on local television have successfully promoted illiteracy by using prominently placed misspellings to communicate their marketing messages. First, an ad on cable access promoting Hunter Huss High School's "FREE!!!" tutoring in math, science, and English was followed by this statement: "Tranpartation is available." The second ad came from perennial favorite Sonny Hancock car dealership, advertising its new 10-year/100,000-mile warranty on select vehicles. Replete with dramatic voiceover and large type on screen, the ad declares: "Now that's piece-of-mind!"

'Garden Parkway' To Be Renamed 'Billy Graham Parkway'

A proposed toll road through Gaston County got a boost this week when the N.C. Turnpike Authority endorsed the project along with three others. The so-called "Garden Parkway" would connect a 20-mile stretch between I-485 (near the Charlotte/Douglas Airport) to I-85 in Gastonia. Some have suggested the name of the toll road be changed from "Garden Parkway" to "Billy Graham Parkway," in honor of the world-famous evangelist and North Carolina's favorite son. "I know there's a 'Billy Graham Parkway' in Charlotte already, but that's no big deal," said John Culbertson, a Turnpike Authority board member. "We've got lots of roads around here that have the same name. In fact, we kind of enjoy naming different roads the same thing whenever we can."